Day ??in the books.#UBoyz pic.twitter.com/lT3wgSUOtu
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) March 21, 2019
The Utes have one remaining practice this week on Saturday (10-noon at the Eccles Football Center). Next week, Utah will take the field on Tuesday and Thursday at the Eccles Football Center before holding its first scrimmage of the season on March 30.
Next Week's Schedule:
Tuesday, March 26: Practice 3-4:45 p.m. (Eccles Football Center)
Thursday, March 28: Pro Day (not open to the public), practice from 3-4:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 30: Scrimmage, 10-11:45 a.m. (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Jim Harding on the offensive line and the newcomers they have in this spring…
"With spring ball you always have less numbers as it is. What is nice is that you have some freshmen that either came off of missions early or graduated high school early, so we get to throw them into the fire, but they will be better in the long run because of it. We are going against a defensive line that is one of the best in the country and it is a matter of looking at their different skill sets and finding where they can fill in from there for the travel spot."
Highlights from Offense vs. Defense Today:
- Tyler Huntley found Derrick Vickers open over the middle for a first down.
- Tyler Huntley went to Tyrone Young-Smith for a 20+ yard gain and a touchdown in the corner.
- Devonta'e Henry-Cole was moving well and looked elusive at the line of scrimmage.
- Tyler Huntley and Jason Shelley both showed their athleticism with some impressive scrambles for yards.
- Mika Tafua and Javelin Guidry had a big stop on third down.
- Fua Pututau had consistent pressure on the quarterback when he was on the field.
- Jason Shelley had a nice deep ball to Samson Nacua for a 20+ yard touchdown with Nacua catching under double-coverage.
Voices from Practice: Head coach Kyle Whittingham
On how practice looked today…
"Really good. We have had five good practices which puts us a third of the way through. We are making some progress and the offense is coming along and the guys have a great attitude. The physicality has been there and so I really like what we are seeing so far. But we are only five days in, so we have a lot to get done in these last 10 practices."
On Keaton Bills practicing with the offense today…
"We are getting a little bit thin on the offensive line with a couple of injuries so it is just about getting the best players on the field. He was a tremendous offensive lineman in high school, so it isn't new to him. As we look for potential guys to go out there, he was the first name that came up."
On who he thinks will fit in to the tackle position after Jackson Barton graduated…
"Well, Darrin Paulo has spent most of the time at left tackle and that is probably the way it will end up, but not for certain. He is a very good tackle and has played a lot for us."
On what he wants to get out of the rest of spring practices…
"Well finish installing the offense. I think the offense is only about a third in and they have to be exposed to all of that. We need to get the inside linebacker position and linebacker positions up to speed. We need to get the safety situation solidified. Julian Blackmon is a huge step in the right direction with that. And then the offensive line. Those are the three positions that we need to get some depth established."